Harmonix and Telltale Games have unearthed details about their upcoming DS version of LEGO Rock Band, and it looks like it's familiar territory for music game fans.

Developed by Backbone Entertainment, the DS version will play closer to Harmonix's recent PSP Rock Band, which was heavily influenced by their earlier music games Frequency and Amplitude, than to Neversoft's Guitar Hero: On Tour games. In those titles, you use the face buttons (and optionally the touchscreen in this DS version) to hit notes on four different selectable highways that correspond to an instrument. Highways in those titles were broken up into phrases that, once completed, would play themselves for a while and allow you to jump onto another highway to continue the RAWK.

No peripherals are required, making the game compatible with all DS systems.

The series' Tour mode is intact, complete with instrument customization and sweaty van rides. Four band mates can team up in the local WiFi mode too, so you can have dramatic band meetings and fire your drummer if you so please.

Apart from everything having a brick makeover, the LEGO-ness seeps into the custom character creator, allowing you to draw on some of the toy line's more established lines, making it the first music game to allow you to have a full band of pirates playing The Final Countdown. Locales are also allowed to be a bit more outlandish than traditional Rock Band venues, promising "fantasy locations on Earth… and beyond!"

A snippet of the soundtrack is listed below, and it doesn't look too shabby either: